No matter what kind of small business you’re running, there’s always one thing that most small business owners have in mind — gaining new customers.
While word-of-mouth marketing can work, it can only bring in so many new faces.
If you’re out of ideas when it comes to marketing your business outside of referrals, here are five tactics to consider.
1. Get Online
If you have a website, you have to ask yourself how often you’re using it. Using the Internet enables you to reach out to a global audience who may be interested in your goods or services.
Start becoming active on Twitter, Facebook and consider creating a small blog on your website.
Keep in mind that followers and traffic won’t come overnight; however, if you want traffic right away, consider advertising options on Google and Facebook.
2. Share Your Knowledge
Every town is going to have a Chamber of Commerce and a local Parks and Recreation Department.
These are great ways to share your knowledge with the community by offering seminars, private classes and hands-on exercises at your shop.
Potential customers love to work with people who know what they are talking about, so this is a great stepping stone to get to know the community for a low initial investment.
3. Always Network
As a business owner, you should never stop networking. In today’s technological era, there are so many ways to network.
When networking online and personally, don’t treat it like a numbers game, but instead, treat it as a way to share information about what you can do for them.
When networking, you have to look at it from another person’s perspective. Why should they keep in touch with you? What do you have to offer?
4. Be Generous
Today, customers will leave your business in a heartbeat if they find better deals elsewhere. Being a business owner shouldn’t be all about the profit margins.
Make sure that you treat your loyal customers like gold. Send them freebies, exclusive coupons and let them know they’re wanted.
5. Keep in Touch
The average person walks by hundreds, if not thousands of advertisements a day. With those kind of numbers, it’s no wonder why people forget about your business relatively fast.
No matter how you do it, find ways to keep in touch with people who have walked through your door. For example, one great way is through direct mail.
If you’re unsure of where to start, consider niche-based marketing companies. For example, PetMarketing.net works with veterinarians.
Marketing your business is going to take a lot of hard work. By thinking outside of the box and applying these five strategies to your marketing arsenal, there’s no reason you shouldn’t see growth in the months to come.
Networking should be every business’s top priority. When I ran my taxi business in NY I networked like crazy being part of all the local events and showing my face everywhere. Not only did I network, I also often drove the cabs myself and gave people regular discounts to show that I am personally involved in the business. I think people really appreciate that and become loyal customers as a result.
That’s really a great suggestion, Denis.
With a little bit of fantasy and creavity in marketing, you may have great results.
Thanks for the comment! 🙂
I think without networking in today’s world it is very hard to get your business going. It exists for a reason and it works great if you take the time to put the effort in it.